Sterilizer.



Patented May l3, I902.

8. G. SCANLAN.

STEBILIZER.

(Application filed July 24, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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S. G. SCANLAN.

S T E R l L I Z E B (Application filed July 24, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Uwrrnn STATES Patmvr OFFICE.

SAM GlVYN SOANLAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STERILIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,717, dated May 1 3,1902.

Application filed July 24, 1901- Sofia-1N0. 69,528. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAM GWYN SOANLAN, a citizen of the United States,residingin the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sterilizers for SurgicalDressings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sterilizers for purifying surgical dressings andother articles by means of heated air and steam; and, broadly stated,the object of my invention is to pro- -vide a sterilizer wherein steamwill gain access to the dressings from above and be subsequentlydissipated into and mixed with hot air and gases at and below thedressings, thereby preventing; the condensation notwithstanding the factthat the steam is at all times at a low pressure.

Another principal object of my invention is to provide means for drivingoff all moisture from the dressings after sterilization, this beingaccomplished by permitting the steam to escape without gaining access tothe dressings and simultaneously supplying hot air and gases to thedressings directly from the burner beneath.

Other objects of my invention are, first, to provide a sterilizerwherein steam may be generated with great rapidity; second, to providemeans whereby the boiler and other parts of the sterilizer may be easilydisassembled for cleaning and other purposes; third, to prevent escapeand loss of gases arising from the source of heat; fourth, to preventthe escape of steam directly into the air when the sterilizer is closed;fifth, to provide means for regulating the entrance of the steam intothe receiving-chamber, and, sixth, to provide the other detailshereinafter set forth.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the complete device. Fig.2 is a central vertical section of the device as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isaplan view in section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1, and showingthescreen whereon the dressings are supported. Fig. 4; is a sectional Viewin plan taken on the line 4 i, Fig. 2, and showingthedistributing-plate. Fig. 5 is a central vertical sectional View of theboiler. Fig. 6 is a plan sectional view of the boiler on the line (5 6,Fig. 5. Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the heat-distributing plate.Fig. 8 is a detail view in vertical section, showing the manner ofattaching the boiler to the main body of the sterilizer. Fig. 9 is adetail view in central vertical section, illustrating the formation ofthe damper or regulator. Fig. 10 is a detail View in vertical section,showing an alternative construction of the lid orcover.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The sides of the sterilizer are composed of the walls a and b, which arepreferably cylindrical and are located one within the other in such amanner as to form a passage 0, extending from top to bottom of the saidwalls. Said passage is open at its lower extremity and connects with theboiler (I. Said boiler, which is one of the features of myinvention, hasan outer wall e, adapted to connect with the outer walla of thesterilizer in such a manner as To be substantially continuous therewith.I prefer to form the connection between said boiler and the outer wallof the sterilizer in the manner best shown in Figs. 5 and 8 of thedrawings, the wall 6 of said boiler having a ledge-fformed thereon,which is adapted to support the lower extremity of the said wall a, andsaid walls a and e making telescopic connections one with the other.Said boiler is adapted to be attached in position beneath thesterilizingreceptacle by means of the hooks g, pivotally secured to aidboiler and so formed as to engage the lug 71. upon the wall a near thelower eX- tremity thereof. The bottom t" of the boiler is perforated bya series of apertures j, connecting with the vertical fire-tubes 7c 70.The top of the boiler m forms a false bottom to the sterilizer and hasat its periphery an upwardly-turned flange a, which fits into the innerwall I). Said boiler-top m is perforated to correspond with theperforations j in the bottom 1 of the boiler,and said tubes 7t formpassage-ways for permitting the gases from the source of heat to passdirectly through said boiler. The filler-tube o connects with saidboiler from the outside thereof for permitting the introduction of Waterinto the boiler, and said tube is closed by means of the screwcap 13.

. tubes it 70.

For convenience in transporting a handle q is attached to the side ofthe boiler (Z and handles r are attached to the side walls a.

It will be apparent that when the boiler is attached in position beneaththe receptacle formed by the walls a and b, the boiler is completelyclosed except Where it communicates with the passage 0 between saidwalls. The steam therefore cannot escape into the atmosphere, and,moreover, the sterilizer may be transported with the boiler full ofwater without danger of spilling the water.

The heat-distributing plates (shown in perspective in Fig. '7) consistsof a sheet of metal provided with legs tt, whereby the plate issupported upon the top m of the boiler, but is raised therefrom asufficient distance to permitthe heating-gases to emerge from the tubesand pass underneath said plate and finally upward into thereceiving-chamber.

The diaphragm it consists of a preferably metallic dished plate havingan aperture U therein, forming a passage for the rising gases. Saiddiaphragm is removably supported upon the lugs 10, formed upon the innerWalls b. The screen a: rests upon said diaphragm u and forms a falsebottom whereon' the dressings may lie.

Thewalls aand b of the receptacle are preferably connected at the top inthe manner shown in detail in Fig. 9, whereby the passage a is closed atthe top. In this construction a series of apertures y are provided nearthe upper extremity of the inner wall I) for permitting the escape ofthe steam from said passage to the receiving-chambers of the receptacle.

The cover 1 rests upon the top of the receptacle and has a dependingflange 2, which also has a series of apertures 3, corresponding to saidapertures y. The two sets of apertures are so arranged that when thecover 2' is seated upon the receptacle said apertures may in oneposition of the cover register, but are out of register when the coveris rotated sufficiently'in one direction or the other. By thisconstruction the cover forms a regulatingdamper for controlling theamount of steam entering into the receiving-chamber z. A hinged lid t isplaced at the top of the cover over the opening 5 therein forcontrolling the escape of the steam and other vapors.

In operation the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 2 and thedressings are introduced into the chamber 2. The heating-gases comedirectly into contact with the bottom of the boiler and also pass upwardthrough the A large surface is consequently exposed to the hot gases,andas a result steam is quickly generated with a minimum loss of heat.Steam arising from the boiler, having but one means of escape, passesupward between the Walls a and b and finally discharges through theapertures y and 3 into the receiving-chamber z, Where it comes intocontact with the dressings and purifies the same.

The amount of steam entering the chamber is governed by rotating thecover 1, so that the said apertures y and 3 are in or out of register,as desired, and as a further means of regulation the cover may be leftopen or closed, as conditions may require. Now the hot gases arisingfrom the source of heat, al-

though being spread by the bottom of the boiler, are not deflected awaytherefrom, and thereby lost, but pass, with small loss, upwardly throughthe pipes 7c 7.: into the bottom of the main receptacle. The saidheatinggases do not, however, come directly into contact with thedressings, as the heat would be too great, but are deflected by thedistributing-plate s and after passing upwardly around the edges of saidplate are again deflected by the diaphragm a. When said gases havefinally reached the receiving-chamber z and come into contact with thedressings after having passed through the screen 00, said gases are sothoroughly commingled that although at a high temperature no harm isdone to the dressings. It is obvious that the steam gains access to thedressings from above, thereby affording what is known as oversteam,while the hot gases entering from below prevent condensation. Thepresent device therefore has the important advantage of having oversteamat low pressure dissipated into and commingled with hot air and gaseswhich pass through an opening in the bottom of the sterilizing-chamberand prevent precipitation of moisture. After the sterilizing process hasbeen completed the lid l is thrown back, which allows the steam .toescape directly into the air without reaching the dressings. The hotgases still continuing to rise from the bottom of the receptacle throughthe diaphragm drive off the remaining steam and gases from the chamber.

I desire to direct attention particularly to the fact that theheating-gases themselves enter the receptacle, and consequently not onlyis a high degree of temperature easily maintained, but the steam isreheated at a time when it has suffered the greatest loss of heat. Onaccount of the great heating-surface of the boiler steam is freely andrapidly generated.

In the alternative construction shown in Fig. 10 the inner wall 1)extends as high as the outer wall a, but is not connected with thelatter, so that an opening 6 intervenes, thereby affording means forescape of the steam from the passage 0 into the receivingchamber 2. Inthe last-described construction the cover 7 has a depending flange 8,making air-tight connection with the outer wall a.

It is evident that in the last-described construction the receptacle maybe square or of any other desired cross-section.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sterilizer comprising a receptacle having double walls inclosin g apassage; a boiler completely closed except at its periphery where saidboiler communicates with the passage between said walls, and tubespassing through said boiler for the admittance of heated gases into saidreceptacle.

2. In a sterilizer the combination of a receptacle having double wallsinclosing a passage, a boiler closed to the atmosphere and communicatingwith said passage, a set of tubes extending through said boiler forconducting the heating-gases directly through said boiler Withoutdeflection into said receptacle and a distributing-plate within saidreceptacle forspreading said gases after the latter hay e beenintroduced within said receptacle.

3. In a sterilizer, the combination of a receptacle consisting of aninner and an outer vessel inclosing a vertically-arranged passage, saidpassage having openings at the top thereof connecting with the interiorof the inner vessel, a boiler beneath said receptacle, the outer wall ofsaid boiler joining the outer wall of said receptacle to thereby preventthe escape of steam directly from said boiler to the atmosphere, saidboiler opening into said vertical passage; a set of boiler-tubesextending through said boiler for conducting the heating-gases directlythrough said boiler into said receptacle, and means for detachablyattaching said boiler to said receptacle.

4:. In a sterilizer, the combination of a receptacle having double wallsinclosing a passage, a boiler beneath said receptacle communicating withsaid passage, the outer wall of said boiler joining with the outer wallof said receptacle to thereby prevent the escape of steam from saidboiler directly to the at mosphere, a set of tubes extending verticallythrough said boiler for conducting the heating-gases through the boilerinto the lower extremity of the sterilizing-receptacle, a removabledistributing-plate above said tubes, and a diaphragm above said platehaving an aperture therein for permitting the upward progress of theheating-gases.

5. In a sterilizer, a receptacle having double walls inclosing a passagebetween them, in combination with a separate boiler detachablyattachable to said receptacle, said boiler being completely closedexcept at portions communicating with the passage between said walls,and said boiler having a set of vertically-arranged tubes extendingtherethrough for conducting the heatinggases directly into the saidreceptacle.

6. In a sterilizer, a pair of hollow cylinders one within anotherinclosing a passage, said passage being closed at the top and open atthe bottom, a boiler, closed except at the bottom of said passage wheresaid boiler communicates with the lower extremity of said passage,apertures in the inner of said cylinders near the top thereof, a coverhaving a depending flange fitting next to said inner cylinder andapertures in said depending flange, apertures in said inner cylinder andcover, corresponding and communicating when said cover is in oneposition but being non-adjacent when said cover is rotated, said coverthereby constituting a damper for regulating the admission of steam tothe receiving-chamber.

SAM GWYN SOANLAN.

WVitnesses:

J. AVIS BRIGHT, S. WOLF.

